signs, symptoms and cures of the spiritual diseases of the heart
[…] Imam Mawlud starts his treatise with courtesy, since excellent behavior and comportment are the doorkeepers to the science of spiritual purification. One must have courtesy with regard to God—behave properly with respect to His presence—if he or she wishes to purify the heart. But how does one achieve this courtesy? Imam Mawlud mentions two requisite qualities associated with courtesy: modesty (haya') and humility (dhul).
Haya', in Arabic, conveys the meaning of "shame", though the root word of haya' is closely associated with "life" and "living." The Prophet ﷺ stated, "Every religion has a quality that is characteristic of that religion, and the characteristic of my religion is haya'," an internal sense of shame that includes bashfulness and modesty.
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Some anthropologists divide cultures into shame cultures and guilt cultures. According to this perspective, shame is an outward mechanism, and guilt is an inward one which alludes to a human mechanism that produces strong feelings of remorse when someone has done something wrong, to the point that he or she needs to rectify the matter.
Most primitive cultures are not guilt-based but are shame-based, which is rooted in the fear of bringing shame upon oneself and the larger family. Islam honors the concept of shame and takes it to another level altogether—to a rank in which one feels a sense of shame before God. When a person acknowledges and realizes that God is fully aware of all that one does, says, and thinks, shame is elevated to a higher plane, to the unseen world from which there is no cover[…]
Imam Mawlud also mentions that one should have dhul, which literally means, "being lowly, abject, or humbled." The Qur'an mentions that people who incur the anger of God have this state of humiliation thrust upon them. This humility or humbleness assumed before God is required for courtesy[…]
When we seriously reflect upon God's perfect watch over His creation and the countless blessings He sends down, and then consider the kind of deeds we bring before Him, what can we possibly feel except humility and shame? These strong feelings should lead us to implore God to change our state, make our desires consonant with His pleasure, giving up our designs for God's designs. This is pure courtesy with respect to God, a requisite for spiritual purification.
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Imam Mawlud then says that one should hasten "to fulfill [God's] command" and be "wary of the subtle encroachment of bad manners," namely, faults that one is unaware of. A hadith states, "One of you will say a word and give it no consideration, though it will drag the person [who uttered it] through Hellfire for 70 years." People often become so disconnected from prophetic teachings that they unwittingly inflict great harm upon themselves.
Imam Mawlud speaks next about freedom, which is achieved when one realizes the qualities of shame and humility, and empties oneself of their opposites (shamelessness and arrogance). With these qualities come true freedom, wealth, and dignity, which require manumission from the bonds of one's whims. People may claim to be "free," yet they cannot control themselves from gluttony in the presence of food or from illicit sexual relations when the opportunity presents itself. Such a notion of freedom is devoid of substance.
Freedom has real meaning when, for example, a situation of temptation arises and one remains God-fearing, steadfast, and in control of one's actions. This holds true even when the temptation produces flickers of desire in a person who nonetheless refrains from indulging. Imam al-Ghazali speaks at length about the desires of our limbs and organs and refers to the stomach and the genitals as being the two "dominators"; if they are under control, all other aspects of desire are kept in check. The tongue is also a formidable obstacle. There are people, for example, who appear incapable of refraining from backbiting and speaking ill of others, and they often do so without realizing it.
It is common for people to dislike impoverishment or humility because they perceive them as abjectness. Yet the Prophet ﷺ chose poverty over wealth; he did not have money in his home; he did not have jewelry; he slept on the floor upon a bed made of leather that was stuffed with palm fibers; and he had two pillows in his room for guests. In much of today's culture, living this way would be considered extreme poverty. Imam Mawlud stresses that dignity with God comes to those who are humble before Him, those who place prime value on how they are received by their Maker and not by how they will be judged by the ephemeral norms of people. Dignity and honor are gifts; the Qur'an says about God, "You exalt whomever You will, and You debase whomever You will" (3:26). Proofs of this divine law abound […]
Imam Mawlud goes on to explain that there is no salvation "like the heart's salvation, given that all the limbs [and organs] respond to its desires." If one's heart is safe, so too are the limbs and organs, for they carry out the deeds inspired by the heart. The limbs and organs of the corrupt become instruments through which corruption is spread […]
According to a hadith, the tongue is the "interpreter of the heart." Hypocrisy is wretched because the hypocrite says with his tongue what is not in his heart. He wrongs his tongue and oppresses his heart. But if the heart is sound, the condition of the tongue follows suit. We are commanded to be upright in our speech, which is a gauge of the heart's state. According to a prophetic tradition, each morning, when the limbs and organs awaken in the spiritual world, they shudder and say to the tongue, "Feat God concerning us! For if you are upright, then we are upright; and if you deviate, we too deviate." Engaging in the regular remembrance of God (dhikr) safeguards the tongue and replaces idle talk with words and phrases that raise one in honor. The tongue is essential in developing courtesy with God, which is the whole point of existence.
Purifying the heart is a process. First, one must understand the necessity of having courtesy with God and the importance of fulfilling its requirements, as noted above. Second, one must be aware of the diseases of the heart—aware of their existence, their ailments, and the deleterious complications and troubles that ensue from them, and recognize that these diseases prevent one from attaining this courtesy. Knowledge of the diseases of the heart, their causes, and how to remove them is an obligation on every sane adult human being.
Imam Mawlud cites Imam al-Ghazali (an eleventh century master scholar of the science of purification) holding the position that it is indeed an obligation on everyone to learn about the ailments of the heart and their cures. Imam Mawlud then states that some scholars hold that this is not an obligation per se for everyone, particularly for a person who has already been blessed with a sound heart and has been spared these maladies. Imam al-Ghazali dissents and says that these disease are inherent to the human condition. One can observe, for example, greed, jealousy, hatred, and the like in children, though the diseases do not necessarily endure […]
It is interesting that Imam Mawlud says it is impossible to rid oneself of these diseases completely. This implies that purification is a lifelong process, not something that is applied once and then forgotten. Purity of heart never survives a passive relationship. One must always guard his or her heart.
There is a well-known hadith which states that every child is born in the state of fitrah […], which means that people are born inclined to faith, with an intuitive awareness of divine purpose and a nature built to receive the prophetic message. What remains then is to nurture one's fitrah and cultivate this inclination to faith and purity of heart.